Sumitra Mahajan to present footballs to Parliamentarians

New Delhi [India], Mar. 29 (ANI): In a unique gesture, Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan will on Wednesday present footballs to all MPs of both Houses of Parliament at a function near the Gandhi statue at Parliament. The Lok Sabha Speaker will do this as a part of the mass awareness programme launched by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports to reach out to children to create football fever. Sports Minister Vijay Goel yesterday came to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Parliamentary meet with a football to promote FIFA-U17 World Cup. Kolkata's iconic Salt Lake Stadium will stage the final of the FIFA U-17 World Cup on October 28, while Navi Mumbai and Guwahati have been selected to host the semi-finals of the prestigious tournament which India is hosting for the first time. Following a week-long inspection tour of the six venues chosen for the FIFA U-17 World Cup India 2017, and with less than 200 days to go until the footballing talents of the future compete on the pitch, FIFA and the Local Organising Committee (LOC) have announced the tournament schedule. The tournament will start in New Delhi and Navi Mumbai with the first double headers being held on October 6, while the four quarter-finals will be held in Goa, Guwahati, Kochi and Kolkata. Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his Mann Ki Baat on March 26 had mentioned about the FIFA U-17 World Cup and said that it would bring football to the forefront and encourage youngsters to take up sports. (ANI)